Our list of latest restaurant openings and closures fortunately lists more openings than closures, and is updated continuously, as we receive information.
Restaurant Openings
* Tamboers Winkel has opened on De Lorentz Street, just off Kloof Street, Gardens (photograph)
* Luke Dale-Roberts, Eat Out Top Chef, is to open a real test kitchen, called The Kitchen of Dreams, a private experimental place to develop new recipes, at the Old Biscuit Mill
* Chef Luke Dale-Roberts is opening a pop-up Pot Luck Club in Swiss ski resort Verbier, at the Hotel Farinet, from 8 December – April, to be run by Chef Luke, his chef Nicolas Wilkinson, and front of house Selena Afnan-Holmes.
* Col’Cacchio has opened a new outlets in Westlake, and a new one is coming in Claremont too.
* A new Vida é Caffe has opened on Prestwich Street, and a new branch is to open on Maindean Place in Claremont, and one in the new Wembley Square 2 development. Two more branches are planned for Mauritius, it is said.
* Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro has opened its dinner theatre, performing ‘Kaapse Stories’, on Main/Glengariff Roads in Sea Point, owned by Richard Loring and Roland Seidel
* Honest Chocolate is opening a second outlet with a ‘production kitchen’ in the Woodstock Industrial Centre
* Moyo is to open where the Paulaner Braühaus was in the V & A Waterfront in summer. It has taken over the tearoom at Kirstenbosch already.
* Josephine’s Cookhouse has opened in Newlands, belonging to the Societi Bistro owners
* Keenwa has opened the P.I.S.C.O Bar above its restaurants, open Thursdays – Saturdays from 5 pm
* TRUTH Coffee has opened on Buitenkant Street
* Liam Tomlin Food Studio and Store at Leopard’s Leap in Franschhoek is opening a Deli, the date to be confirmed
* FEAST is to open where Franschhoek Food Emporium was, in Place Vendome
* Deluxe Coffeeworks has opened where Reuben’s Deli used to be in Franschhoek.
* Okamai Japanese restaurant has opened at Glenwood wine estate in Franschhoek
* Cavalli restaurant is said to open on the stud farm on R44, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, this year or next
* The Slug & Lettuce has opened where Beads was on Church Street in Stellenbosch
* Stables at Vergelegen Bistro has opened as a lunch restaurant in Somerset West. Its Lady Phillips Restaurant is being given a make-over by Christo Barnard, and will open in November with a new name called The Vergelegen Restaurant. The new chef will be PJ Vadas, previously of The Roundhouse in Camps Bay.
* Coopmanshuijs in Stellenbosch is opening a restaurant.
* Chef Johan van Schalkwyk has left the Stone Kitchen at Dunstone Winery, and has opened his own restaurant Twist Some More in Wellington.
* Chef Bjorn Dingemans is to open up The Millhouse Kitchen restaurant on Lourensford wine estate in Somerset West.
* Grilleri (ex-Mediterrea) has closed down, and Chef Shane Sauvage (ex-La Vierge) is now heading the re-named La Pentola restaurant.
* Ali Baba Kebab (renamed from Laila) has opened as a small beef and lamb kebab take-away and sit-down outlet, next door to Codfather in Camps Bay
* Gibson’s Gourmet Burger and Smoked Ribs has opened as a 70-seater restaurant in the V&A Waterfront, taking part of the Belthazar space. Owned by the Belthazar/Balducci group.
* Giorgio Nava is said to be re-opening his Down South Food Bar, previously on Long Street, in the Riverside Centre in Rondebosch
* Ou Meul Bakery from Riviersonderend is said to be opening a bakery in Long Street
* Deluxe Coffeeworks has opened a roastery at 6 Roodehek Street to service all its outlets
* The Deli on the Square has opened at Frater Square in Paarl.
* David Higgs (ex Rust en Vrede) is opening a new 30 seater restaurant in The Saxon in Johannesburg.
* Big Route Top Gourmet Pizzeria has opened on Main Road, Green Point, next door to Woolworths, serving 52 different pizzas, salads and crêpes.
* Cousins has opened in the Parliament Hotel, where Il Cappero used to be.
* Aces ‘n’ Spades Bar has opened on Hout Street
* 6 has opened at Schalk Burger & Sons wine estate in Wellington, run by the ex-owners of Oude Wellington
* Café Dulce is to open a new branch in Tygervalley Centre
* Gourmetboerie is to open at the bottom end of Kloof Street, where Depasco used to be, in October.
* Kushi Indian Restaurant has opened a branch on Main Road in Sea Point
* Abantu Restaurant and Bar has opened on the corner of Wale and Buitengracht Street, where Time & Place used to be
* Make Sushi Bar has opened in Sea Point
* Thai Café is opening on Plein Street, Stellenbosch
* Simply Asia has opened in Paarl
* Restaurant @ Zomerlust has opened in Paarl
* Christina’s has opened at Van Loveren in Robertson
* Bellini’s is said to open on Greenmarket Square in October
Restaurant Closures
* Sapphire has closed down in Camps Bay
* High Level Restaurant in Bo-Kaap has closed down
* Caveau on Bree Street and Gourmet Burger on Shortmarket Street, belonging to the same owners, have been closed down.
* Sabarosa in Bakoven has closed down.
* Mob Inc Tattoo Bistro has closed down in Sea Point
* Sunbird Bistro in Camps Bay has closed down
* Limoncello in Gardens has closed down, but is continuing with its pop-up restaurant truck
* Paparazzi has closed down on St George’s Mall
* Wicked Treats in Franschhoek has closed down.
* Casa Nostra has closed down in Sea Point, until it finds a new venue.
* Bistro on Rose in Bo-Kaap has closed down as a restaurant, continues as an entertainment venue.
* The Kove in Camps Bay has closed down, its space to be incorporated into sister restaurant Zenzero
Restaurant staff/venue changes
* Il Cappero has moved from Barrack Street to Fairway Street in Camps Bay.
* Table Thirteen has reduced in size in Green Point and will open in Paarden Eiland later this year.
* The V&A Waterfront Food Court is closed for renovations until November. A sign outside the construction area lists the following businesses moving into or returning to the area: Primi Express, Anat, Carnival, Nür Halaal, Royal Bavarian Bakery, KFC, Boost Juice, Simply Asia, Steers, Debonairs, Subway, Marcel’s, and Haagan Dazs. Nando’s is also opening.
* Chef Darren Badenhorst is the new Executive Chef at Grande Provence.
* Chef Shaun Schoeman of Fyndraai Restaurant at Solms Delta has the amazing honour to be working at Noma in Copenhagen for two weeks. Fyndraai will move to another building on the wine estate in November, and will offer fine dining. The current restaurant will serve light lunches and picnics.
* Reuben’s, which was said to be moving its Franschhoek branch, appears to be staying at its existing venue.
* Emile Fortuin has been appointed as Executive Chef at Reuben’s Robertson
* Josephine Gutentoft has left Grande Roche, and has moved to Makaron at Majeka House as Restaurant Manager and Sommelier.
* The Reserve has changed its name to Reserve Brasserie. Seelan Sundoo, ex Grand Café Camps Bay and ex La Perla, is the new consultant chef and GM.
* Café Dijon has closed its restaurant on Plein Street in Stellenbosch, and has opened in the Rockwell Centre in Green Point, Cape Town, opposite Anatoli’s, in which Camil Haas once had his Bouillabaisse restaurant.
* Chef Andrew Mendes from ex-Valora is now at Nelson’s Eye restaurant, where they are setting up a lunch section and cocktail bar upstairs.
* Miss K Food has closed down in Green Point. The new owner Maurizio Porro, with his chef Ernesto, has kept the staff and furniture, and most of the menu initially. They are now called Guilia’s Food Café Restaurant, and they are open for Italian-style lunch and dinner as well, but have retained some Miss K breakfast and pastry items.
* Rob and Nicky Hahn have left Proviant in Paarl, and now run eat @ Simonsvlei on the Old Paarl Road
* Karl Lambour is the new General Manager of Grande Provence.
* Virgil Kahn is the new head chef at Indochine at Delaire Graff Estate
* Having bought the farm about 18 months ago, Antonij Rupert Wines has taken over the Graham Beck Franschhoek property. They will re-open the tasting room in October, initially offering all its Antonij Rupert, Cape of Good Hope, Terra del Capo, and Protea wines to taste. They are renovating the manor house, to which the Antonij Rupert and Cape of Good Hope wines will be moved for tasting at a later stage.
* Orphanage is expanding into a property at its back, opening on Orphan Street, in December, creating a similar second bar downstairs, and opening Orphanage Club upstairs, with 1920’s style music by live performers
* GOLD Restaurant has moved into the Trinity building
* Opal Lounge has closed down on Kloof Street, and has moved into Blake’s Bar building, renaming it Dinner at Blake’s. A wine and tapas bar has also been opened, called Bar Rouge.
* Mano A Mano has opened on Park Street, where Green’s used to be.
* MondeVino Restaurant at Montecasino in Johannesburg, the MasterChef SA prize for the next two years, is to be renamed Aarya, and is to be run by Chef Deena Naidoo from November onwards.
* Chef Ulli Stamm has left Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro.
* Bizerca is moving into the ex-Gourmet Burger space in Heritage Square on Shortmarket Street.
* Co-owner Abbi Wallis has taken over the running of The Stone Kitchen at Dunstone Winery in Wellington.
* Roodehek Restaurant has changed its name back to The German Club, after the departure of the previous owner.
* Marcelino has left Marcelino’s Bakery, leaving the control with Mr Zerban. A Zerban’s style restaurant is being added onto the bakery, and is said to open in September.
* Chef Chris Erasmus from Pierneef à La Motte is doing a stage with Chef Rene Redzepi at Noma, the number one World’s 50 Best Restaurants in the World, in Copenhagen in September
* MasterChef SA runner-up Sue-Ann Allen is joining South Africa’s number 
one Eat Out Top 10 restaurant The Greenhouse as an intern for a month, from 21 August.
* Vintage India has moved out of the Garden’s Centre to the corner of Hiddingh and Mill Street, around the corner.
* Nook Eatery in Stellenbosch has been sold, with new owners taking over in September
* Crêpe et Cidre has closed down in Franschhoek. Gideon’s The Famous Pancake House is taking over the main road space in September.
* Liam Tomlin Food is to relocate from Leopard’s Leap in Franschhoek to Cape Town in November.
* Brampton winetasting bar on Church Street, Stellenbosch, is undergoing renovations to treble its current size, planning to reopen in the first week of September. Also said to be opening a winetasting venue at the entrance to Franschhoek.
* Juno Café in Paarl no longer belongs to Fairview
* Noop restaurant in Paarl has new owners
Restaurant breaks
* Constantia Uitsig is taking a winter break from 25 June – 24 July.
* The River Café is closing for a winter break from 13 August – 4 September.
* Nguni in Plettenberg Bay closes from 1 May – 31 July
* The Kove in Camps Bay will be closed from 1 May – 30 August
* Olivello at Marianne Estate will be closed from 30 July – 21 August
* Grande Provence is closing on Sunday evenings until the end of September.
* Pure Restaurant at Hout Bay Manor will be closed from 23 June – 3 August
* Pane e Vino is closed from 1 – 31 July
* Bistro 1682 at Steenberg is closed from 1 – 26 July.
* The Kitchen at Maison is closed until 3 August
* Massimo’s Pizza Club is closing from 23 – 31 July
* Rust en Vrede is closed from 8 July – 6 August
* Reuben’s Franschhoek is closed from 16 July – 1 August
* Dear Me Foodworld is closed until 3 August
* Warwick wine estate’s restaurant is closed from 6 – 20 August
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage
Looking back at 2012 on the last day of the year, every business will be grateful that it is still around, given that the international world is still in recession, and the impact thereof has made itself felt in South Africa too. It is heartening that fewer hospitality businesses closed their doors this year, but it is clear that fewer restaurants have opened, and few top-end ones in particular. So what stood out in 2012?:
